PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Welcome to Term 3. I hope that the recent holiday break was a time for your family to relax and take some time out from routine activities. The staff and students have returned in good spirits and learning and other experiences are in full swing.

In only two weeks we have had the first two Year 10 groups attend their driving camp at Charlton (CHARTSEC), School Production rehearsals of We Will Rock You are becoming more frequent and our Year 11 and 12 students have had the opportunity to speak with Universities and TAFE organisations at the Tertiary Information Session.

In week three we will welcome 120 Grade 6 students from primary schools across the region, to their second Transition Day. I have begun the enrolment interviews and have met many excited students and parents that are getting ready to move from Primary school to St Mary MacKillop College.  With this enrolment in 2024 our school will get very close to a whole school enrolment of 500 students. Therefore I encourage current families to please complete the enrolment confirmation that has been communicated through Operoo and make contact with me, or the relevant House Leader, if your child is not returning in 2024.

With increasing enrolments we feel the added pressure to begin the building works on our new site. Works on master planning and requirements for developmental and planning applications are well underway. Traffic engineering, stormwater and drainage, as well as other assessments that are required before buildings can be developed are almost complete. I hope to share more information on the staging of the new site later in the year.

We have welcomed three new students and their families into our school community this term.  We are also very excited to have Ms Peta Goodman working for us again in our Wellbeing area.  Peta is a Psychologist and will be with us two days a week.

During the holidays Ms Lyndal Robinson and Ms Chiaki Green both welcomed baby boys to their respective families. Surprisingly both were born on the same day! Casey Simmonds, LRC Library Assistant, will begin Parental Leave in week 3 and we look forward to hearing news from Casey in the near future.

On Wednesday 26th July I have asked Year 10 students that are not attending CHARTSEC or participating in the LMR Intermediate Football to study from home. This is not a practice that we want to repeat and the decision was made after much consideration. A number of staff have required leave on this day and our casual relief teaching pool would not cover the absences. I thank all families for their understanding of this decision.

Thursday 27th July is a Student Free day, as the staff will participate in a Professional Learning Day with Dr John Warhust. The topics that the staff will cover on the day are centred around the Church in Australia and the Universal Church: Pope Francis and Synodality.